From Handbook to God’s Promises
GOD’S WORDS ARE ETERNAL AND UNCHANGING
Nehemiah 5:13: Keeping Their Promises
We depend on God keeping His promises to us, but what about our pledges to Him? Moses warns His people, “If a man makes a vow to the Lord, or takes an oath to put himself under a binding obligation, he shall not break his word; he shall act in accordance with everything that comes out of his mouth” (Numbers 30:2). In the New Testament, Ananias and Sapphira experience the awful consequence of lying to the Holy Spirit and failing to follow through on their word to the Lord (Acts 5:1–8).
Yet our promise keeping doesn’t need to be motivated by fear or obligation. Just as God’s promises emerge from His love, so we can be reliable promise keepers because we love and desire to please Him. We love Him and keep our promises because He first loved us and kept His promises to us (1 John 4:19).